


Ripple Effect: Homecoming

by Awakening5



Series: Ripple Effect [1]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Butterfly Effect, F/M, I've got whims and I'm not afraid to write 'em, Ripple Effect, classmates to friends, what if
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:15:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28505826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awakening5/pseuds/Awakening5
Summary: A small pebble, dropped in a pool, can have ripples that extend forever"I didn't bring a swim suit," he lies with regret.Liz's smile doesn't drop. She just shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "Michelle won't be getting in either. Just come join us."And he really doesn't know how he can get out of this without drawing suspicion. "I'll just...let Ned know. And come down."The night before the competition, Peter briefly joins his Academic Decathlon team at the pool.
Relationships: Liz Allan & Peter Parker, May Parker (Spider-Man) & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones & May Parker (Spider-Man), Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: Ripple Effect [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088084
Comments: 150
Kudos: 194





	1. Pebble

**Author's Note:**

> Machiavelien made an offhand comment on a HOCO pic a few months ago, where the team is in the pool sans Peter. "is there a fic w what if peter did end up in the pool?"
> 
> Well, he doesn't get *in* the pool, but I couldn't let the idea go. The ripples might be small at first, but it's been really fun to imagine this alternate timeline where Peter joined his classmates for a minute by the pool.
> 
> The chapters will be short, and I'll update (almost) daily. If you'd prefer to read this as a one-shot, come back in a week or so.

"So get your trunks on, and come on!"

She playfully throws the candy bar at Peter's chest, and he falls a little bit more in love with her. Liz Allen. Brilliant, beautiful, and baiting him with that smile.

But no. He's got a responsibility. And he's got to prove to Mr. Stark and the Avengers that he shouldn't be doing the small-time stuff. There are dangerous weapons out there, and he can stop them from circulating.

"I didn't bring a swim suit," he lies with regret.

Liz's smile doesn't drop. She just shakes her head and rolls her eyes. "Michelle won't be getting in either. Just come join us."

And he really doesn't know how he can get out of this without drawing suspicion. "I'll just...let Ned know. And come down."

"Great!" she flashes him another wide smile, and jogs after the others. And Peter would be lying if he said he wasn't a _little_ happy about this turn of events.

He opens his room back open, and Ned peers up from his laptop on his bed. "Change your mind?" he asks.

"Liz is making me join them at the pool," he explains quickly. "Come get me in ten minutes with an excuse."

Ned manages to give him one last exasperated look, before acquiescing. "Fine. But Peter, this isn't the kind of guy-in-the-chair stuff I was envisioning."

Peter throws him a sympathetic cringe before leaving and closing the door behind him. He trots to the stairs and follows them down to the main floor, and opens the door to the pool. He sees some of his classmates getting into the water. Flash is already splashing the others. Liz has her feet in, swishing them back and forth. Peter allows himself to smile, and tries to push off the pulse in his head, reminding him of the weapons dealers he’s trying to find. Finally, his eyes drift to Michelle, reading casually by the pool.

Liz waves at him from the pool, and he grins dopily and waves back. Then he turns to Michelle, whose gaze drops from his immediately, and falls back to her book. He walks over to her. "Mind if I sit here?"

She shrugs nonchalantly. "Whatever." A very Michelle reaction.

The girl is a bit of an enigma. She's smart. Like, crazy smart. And about all the stuff that doesn't really come naturally to Peter. He could tell you the molecular makeup of the crappy plastic chairs they are sitting on. Or give a decent mathematical model for the ripples in the pool caused by Liz's swinging feet.

But Michelle could tell you how many French royalty were killed in the French Revolution, and then proceed to describe all of the ways that Revolution did and did not produce its desired results and _why_. Not to mention America's own failings.

"What are you reading?" he asks, trying to do what Liz said the whole purpose of this activity was, and team build.

"Lord of the Flies," she says without looking up. "Getting ahead on our AP Lit reading."

Peter frowns, and turns to her. There's a shimmer of reflected light from the pool that dances across her face. It makes her eyes light up, which remain on her book, but don't seem to be scanning the words there. He hopes she isn't bothered by his conversation. "I thought that wasn't 'til next term."

"It's not," she says, and puts a finger on the page and closes the book around it. "But I've already finished this term's reading."

"Oh, cool," Peter says, impressed. Even if he wasn't busy Spider-Manning all the time, he doubts he would be so diligent. Especially in AP Lit. "How is it?"

She shrugs, and Peter wonders if that's all he'll get. This is frankly already as long as they've ever really talked. He's noticed that she likes to speak in clipped sentences. And each of her words seems measured and thought-out. But she speaks to him now. "It's super depressing if it's meant to symbolize all of humanity. It's probably spot-on if it's meant to attack the privileged and elite of society."

Peter hums. Maybe he'd enjoy the book next term. He might even try to make time to read it. "And which is it, do you think?"

Michelle finally looks at him, and he is struck by the gleam in her eye. And her smirk is really rather fun when it's not directed at him for staring at Liz a little too long. "Well, I don't really give a fuck what the author intended. So, it's an attack on the privileged and elite."

Peter laughs aloud, and for the briefest moment, a small, genuine smile peaks through Michelle's mask of sardonic indifference. And Peter's ashamed to admit it, but until this moment, he's never thought there was a mask at all. He's never taken even a few paltry minutes like these to talk to her, and see beyond her first, strange impression.

Michelle's eyes snap back to the pool, and her smile drops. So Peter follows her lead and looks back at his classmates. Flash is trying to dunk Abe, who is much too quick to be caught. Betty is just trying to avoid being caught by their splashes, and Liz is laughing aloud, watching it all unfold. She glances up and smiles at Peter and Michelle.

"Aren't you getting in?" Peter's startled by Michelle's question. As if they hadn't already shared more words than ever before, she's _continuing_ the conversation? He smiles.

"I didn't bring a suit," Peter says.

She eyes him, up and down. Peter pulls his hoodie tighter around his neck, hoping she doesn't see the suit he _did_ bring.

Her eyes narrow at his sweatshirt and jeans. And yeah, the temperature _is_ a little too nice to be bundled up like he is. "Shame," is all she says, and returns to her book.

Peter frowns again, and looks down at himself. "Wha—what?"

But Michelle doesn't look back up from her book. Only resumes her clipped one-liners. "Abe could probably use a little back-up."

The comment has him looking back at the pool where the boys' wrestling has definitely jumped up a notch. But Peter can't help but wonder if Michelle is misdirecting him. She's mysterious like that. He can't get a read on her, especially now that he knows there's more to her. He studies her again for just a moment, and wishes he _could_ find out what she was thinking.

"Peter!" Ned calls out from behind him. Peter turns to see Ned at the last step, and jogging towards him and MJ. "You have to get up here. There's a Star Wars marathon starting on TNT."

Peter isn't ashamed of his nerdiness, but is that _really_ the best excuse Ned could come up with? At best, he gets put further into the "dork" box that High School has already put him in. At worst, it's a flimsy excuse to leave the team-building activity, and Liz—or even Michelle—would get suspicious.

He glances at Michelle, to gauge her reaction, and yes, there's that quirked eyebrow and smirk at his expense again. But it makes him laugh now, instead of feeling ashamed. Not at all like when she'd called him out for staring creepily at Liz.

And Liz—Peter remembers to turn to her too. She simply has a long-suffering but understanding look on her face. As if to say "If you must."

And yes. Peter must. Not for Star Wars, of course. But because he needs to prove himself to the privileged and the elite. He feels a wave of shame at the admission. He just hopes Michelle never learns about his motivations. He might enjoy another conversation with her about Lord of the Flies, after all. Just not if it is directed at _him_.

He waves goodbye to Liz, ignores a barb from Flash about Penis Parker not knowing how to swim, and then says goodbye to Michelle. "Enjoy the rest of the book," he says as he stands up.

"Enjoy taking on the Empire, dork," she says, and her eyes dart to his hoodie again. Peter resists tugging at the sleeves. "May the Force be with you."

He laughs, and follows Ned back up the stairs, casting a brief look back at her over his shoulder. 

Ned retreats into their room, ready to be his guy-in-the-chair should the need arise. Peter walks outside instead. He checks his surroundings, ensures his tingly sense isn't aware of any dangers, and leaps up the wall of the motel. He clambers onto the roof and pulls off his jeans and hoodie. Stuffing them into his backpack, he hears the echo of his team, shouting and playing at the pool. He finds an open skylight, and peers down at the pool area.

Liz has finally gotten into the water, playfully slapping it at Cindy, whose competitive streak has her more than playfully returning fire. Liz laughs, and an intense longing tugs at Peter. For the briefest of moments, he considers letting the bad guys proceed without his intervention. Mr. Stark had said he was taking care of it, right?

Peter's eyes drift to Michelle, and the tug persists. He looks at the empty chair he'd been sitting in, and wonders if he can sit back down without being questioned too much.

But memories of that glorious day at the airport remind Peter he is destined for bigger things. He will prove himself to the Avengers and to Mr. Stark. And those dreams mix with his uncle's words. He can't let these kinds of weapons move. People will lose their lives if he doesn't help. He tears his gaze from Michelle and takes one last look at Liz before cinching up his backpack and turning away.


	2. Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a scene in Homecoming where Peter gets off the bus coming back from Washington and hugs May. It's that short and simple. This chapter revolves around that scene, and the clipped off extended scene shown in the grainy image below where May asks Michelle if she wants a ride, and Michelle declines.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Ned's excited whispering about his save at the Washington Monument does not seem to have an ending. No matter how many times Peter has shushed him, begged him to stop speaking so loudly about it, or literally reached up and pressed his best friend’s lips closed, Ned cannot stop talking about it.

Luckily he'd taken a brief nap on the bus ride back to New York. But the second he woke up as they entered Queens, he was right back at it.

"Peter look how cool you are!" he gushes, lifting his phone up for Peter to see. Ned had been in the elevator, of course, and had only seen the ending of Peter's swing around the helicopter to break through the thick glass and catch the elevator in time. But now that he's watching multiple angles of the save compiled by various news sources and fan blogs, Ned is abuzz with awe at what Peter did.

Normally, Peter would be right there with him. He's ashamed to admit that he loves watching videos of himself.

But he _caused_ that danger in the first place.

And the events of the save are suspicious enough _without_ Ned whispering about him doing the saving with classmates just feet away.

So Peter stands up, and moves away from Ned. If he freaks out without someone next to him, maybe he won't whisper about it, but keep his excitement to himself.

A lot of his classmates are asleep, thankfully. The streetlights of Queens flicker across their faces as they take turns down familiar streets. He cringes as he passes Liz, staring out the window. The team had won, thank god, so she was more forgiving of his absence than he probably deserves. That and the life-threatening situation she had been in. His absence was a distant issue at this point. It makes him feel small, even if he's grateful for the distraction.

He continues walking toward the back of the bus, where there are plenty of empty seats, but he pauses when he sees Michelle's eyes tracking him. She looks away, face registering surprise that she'd been caught watching him.

Peter wonders idly how often she's watched him without him knowing. "I'm not obsessed. Just observant," he remembers her saying. He hadn't thought too much about it, but after spending a few minutes with her at the pool, Peter knows he should probably be a little more worried about it. Michelle isn't _just_ the aloof wallflower he assumed her to be.

"Hey Michelle," he whispers softly. "Can I...can I sit here?"

He thinks she's going to say no at first. She looks at him so suspiciously, he wonders if he's done something terribly wrong with his request. Then she lifts her head and nods.

"You and Ned having a fight or something?" she asks. Peter can’t tell if she’s serious or not.

Peter shrugs as he sits. "Just won't shut up about the Monument," he says before really thinking how callous that must sound to someone without all the details. Normally Peter wouldn't be upset in the slightest with Ned's latest obsession. It's just that his obsession is Peter, in a way. And that feels weird.

Michelle hums in response. "Feeling left out?" she asks.

Peter hates that his options are to explain and expose himself or to come across as selfish. But he supposes that's his burden to bear. "Yeah, I guess," he says, and looks away from her. He feels her eyes on him still, though. "How about you? I heard you weren't in the elevator."

"I'm actually glad I didn't almost die, if you can believe it."

Peter snorts, and looks back at her. She's got that gleam in her eye again. And Peter's not quite sure when he started laughing in response to it instead of feeling attacked. But her slight smile tells him it's the right response.

"I also heard you won the tournament for us," Peter says, nudging her with his elbow. "Congratulations. That's amazing!"

Michelle looks away, embarrassed. But she also has a contended if repressed smile on her face. And she _should_ be content, and proud. Peter smiles at her. "Thanks, dork."

And Peter's grateful she doesn't rag on him for not being there—for making her last-second win necessary at all. Even if Liz had been relatively tame in her admonishment, he'd heard enough from Flash and Mr. Harrington for the whole team.

The comfortable silence that fell doesn't last long. Michelle fidgets with her fingers, and Peter can sense she wants to say something. "So...where'd you go?"

He's had some time to think of an answer to the question. And he's already given it, no matter how dumb it sounds. "I was sick," he says. "And down in the lobby trying to get some medicine when you guys were leaving—"

She just shakes her head. "Dude, just tell me you don't want to tell me instead of lying."

Peter sighs. He suspects she has a good bullshit meter. Even if she didn't, he knows it wouldn't take a good one to see his lie. She just _also_ happens to not have any patience for his lies. Now that he thinks about it, she does seem rather obsessed with the truth.

"I don't want to tell you," he whispers.

She holds his gaze a moment before nodding. And they ride in silence for the last few minutes before they arrive back at the school. He steps into the aisle and lets her and the rest of the students get off the bus first. He grabs his backpack, takes a deep breath, and follows after them.

"Peter?" he hears May call out as he descends the final step. He turns to see her rushing towards him, arms outstretched. "Come here. Come here." She wraps him in a tight hug, and he lets himself bask in the comfort of her. She can't ever know that he was in the most danger of anyone on this trip.

She pulls back, but isn't looking him in the eyes. She's looking over his shoulder. "What's your friend's name?" she asks, and Peter has to spin around to see Michelle, the only person not wrapped up in the arms of a loved one and being ushered to the safety of their car.

"Michelle," Peter says, a note of worry in his voice.

May gives Peter's shoulders a brief squeeze, and turns them toward Michelle. "Hi Michelle," she says as they walk by her, and Peter is just amazed at the warmth in her voice and expression. "Can we give you a ride home?"

Michelle hesitates for just a second, her eyes darting to Peter's. She swallows. "I'm okay," she says in that bored voice he knows so well. Only now, he knows there's more to it.

May frowns, but must know not to push—not as a stranger. "Okay sweetie," she says with a smile instead.

But Peter isn't a stranger. At least, he hopes he isn't. He nods to May to let her know he'll catch up, and she nods back. While she walks away, Peter approaches Michelle. "It's really not a big deal for us to drop you off."

"I'm just a few stops away," she says with a wave of her hand.

Peter frowns and checks his watch. "It's after eleven," he says. "Buses only come hourly this late." And he leaves the dangers of the late travel unmentioned. Peter isn't sure if Michelle doesn't have people waiting for her at home, or if she hasn't requested they pick her up out of some need for independence. Either way, he's not okay with the situation.

She looks away from him. "It's fine."

Peter nods. "We can do a little better than fine," he says, and reaches for her elbow. "Please?"

She looks down to where he's holding her—just a friendly touch. Not even holding her, really. Still, he wonders if he shouldn't. When she looks back up, she nods.

Peter holds back a smile and leads her to May's car. May pops the trunk for them to throw their bags in, and they climb into the car, Peter riding shotgun. He thinks it might be a little weird to sit in back with Michelle, like May is chauffeuring them someplace.

Instead, Michelle directs May to her home while they make casual conversation. Peter quickly grows jealous of May—he doesn't understand how, within seconds, she seems to have more success getting Michelle to talk than anyone has had all year. He's also surprised to find how much he _wants_ that.

"I guess I'd say History," Michelle says in response to one of May's questions. And instead of leaving her answer short and unfulfilling like normal, Michelle keeps talking. "I'd say English, but I've never loved being forced to read certain things. And I think it's a shame that the education system puts such a focus on classic literature when we have thousands of authors today who speak to much more specific topics."

Peter can't use the rear-view mirror to look at Michelle, but his senses are certainly on high alert. He hears her fidget with her fingers again, and he wonders if Michelle is equally surprised at her extended dialogue as he is.

May on the other hand is either blissfully unaware of Michelle's discomfort, or simply knows better than to draw any attention to it. "Well, I can say I didn't love English when I was in school. But it's because I didn't want to do _any_ reading, not just classic literature." She laughs at herself. "I learned to love reading _much_ later in life."

And Michelle's fidgeting stops. "What...what do you like now?" she asks.

Peter smiles as the two women start a discussion that almost convinces _him_ to read more. He's never felt so much energy from Michelle. And that smile doesn't really drop from his face until the conversation shifts a couple minutes later.

"I'll definitely check it out after I finish _Lord of the Flies_ ," Michelle says, and she makes a note of May's recommendation in her phone. "I probably would have finished on the bus, but...it was kind of hard to focus. After everything."

May sucks in a breath, and Peter holds his. "You two must have been so scared in that elevator," she shakes her head, worry lining her eyes.

Peter looks away. "I...wasn't actually in the elevator," he says, knowing he couldn't lie with Michelle in the car. He grips the armrest between their seats, mind working at a lie that would satisfy May without making Michelle hate him for lying again. May turns her head sharply to look at him, relief in her gaze _and_ a question on her lips.

"Yeah," Michelle jumps in. "I wasn't either. Saw it all happen from the ground."

May relaxes, and turns from Peter. "Oh thank god," she whispers. She grabs Peters hand on the armrest and gives it a squeeze. Peter resists spinning around in his chair to look at Michelle, whose fidgeting has resumed. She didn't lie for him. But she certainly phrased her response to make the false assumption easy.

"I'm just up here," she says, and leans forward to point to the right. Peter takes the opportunity to turn and look at her. She catches his eye and blinks rapidly twice before turning away.

May pulls over and tells Michelle how nice it was to meet her. Michelle thanks May in clipped tones again, and Peter feels bad for his lies tightening her up again. She climbs out of the car, and Peter follows after her, throwing May a "I'm just gonna..." on his way out.

May pops the trunk, and Peter joins Michelle behind the car. "Thank you," he says.

Michelle grabs her bag and straightens before responding. She holds herself too stiffly. "For what?"

She turns to her building, and Peter is forced to chase after her after closing the trunk. "For...you know. Not telling May. That I missed _everything_."

She shrugs. "It wasn't my secret to tell."

She pulls out her keys as they approach her door. She plays with them between her fingers, not really looking for a specific key. She bites her lip, and seems to come to a decision. She turns to Peter with an intense look on her face. "But Peter...if you're not comfortable telling _that_ woman your secrets..." she scoffs. "I'm not sure you should be doing whatever it is you're doing."

Peter feels like he's been punched in the gut. And he tells himself that Michelle doesn't understand. That the situation is infinitely more complicated than she knows. Between Ben, and the danger he's in, and the responsibility he feels, and the Avengers—it's all so much bigger than Michelle knows. And yet, this girl obsessed with truth might be on to something. And it makes Peter distinctly uncomfortable.

"Thanks for the ride," Michelle says when Peter has no response for her. "Tell May thanks, too. I think I forgot to say it to her."

"Sure." Peter's voice sounds weak even to himself. “Do you need any help with your bag?”

She rolls her eyes. “There’s an elevator; the sixth floor might as well be the first. Besides,” she pulls the strap of her bag. “It’s a backpack with a change of clothes and deodorant in it.”

Peter scratches the back of his neck. It’s clearly a _little_ heavier than that, but she’s right. Of course she can handle it. “Right. See you at school then.”

Michelle gives him a half-smile, which he returns. Then she opens her door, and enters the building.

When Peter climbs back in the car a moment later, May has a twinkle in her eye. "I like her," she says simply.

And even though his latest interaction has him feeling uncomfortable, Peter has to agree. "Yeah, she's...pretty cool."


	3. Detention

Failure hurts.

It sits somewhere in your chest and hammers against your ribcage, and every once in a while punctures your heart for good measure.

It rattles in your head, too. In the form of words and images that can be every bit as sharp as the first time you saw and heard them.

"Great job, Peter. You are ninety-eight percent successful."

The panic of his webs snapping, the desperation of holding the ferry together.

Iron Man saving the day and Mr. Stark himself stepping out of his suit, fury in his eyes.

And not just fury. Disappointment.

"If you're nothing without the suit, you don't deserve it."

Next to him, in detention, Michelle shifts and draws his attention. He lifts his head from his arms and desk to look at her. She's holding a sketch. Of him, with a dark cloud overhead. And he can see the failure in the frown she's drawn on his face. She frowns too, and Peter's not sure if she's being playful or cruel.

He turns his head back into the crook of his elbow.

Detention has passed slowly, and he wishes he had the balls to just walk out again. But what would be the point? He's not Spider-Man anymore.

And there's a sick part of him, deep down, that finds just a little relief at that. In one fell swoop, Mr. Stark had taken his aspirations and his responsibility. And now he is just Peter again.

 _Peter_ could've stayed at the pool with Liz and Michelle. _Peter_ wouldn't have scared and disappointed May. _Peter_ wouldn't be sitting here in detention, thinking of the lives he almost cost on that ferry trying to take down the Vulture guy.

He holds on to some anger at Mr. Stark. It is nice to know he _had_ listened. That he'd contacted the FBI after Peter told him about the weapons. But he could've told Peter that. Instead of just telling him to be a good little boy and sit this one out.

But that's all he is, isn't he? Just a boy. And Peter supposes it's high time he accepts that.

"Sorry."

Her voice is soft, and Peter's not sure he would have heard it without enhanced hearing. He turns back to Michelle, who has closed her sketch book and is fidgeting with her pencil. He looks around the room. Their teacher is asleep in his chair, and the only other student in the room has got headphones on. She was definitely talking to Peter.

"For what?" he asks.

She still doesn't meet his eyes. "You're obviously going through some stuff." She shrugs her shoulders and motions to her sketchbook. "I probably didn't need to remind you of it."

The apology is clearly difficult for her, and Peter's touched. "'S okay."

She finally turns to him. "Is it?"

No. But it will be.

Not Michelle specifically. He's not upset with her and the sketch. She's just doing what she does—Peter doesn't even think she has detention.

Besides, she was right all along, wasn't she? Even if she didn't know what she was talking to him about specifically. His desire to be one of the elite, an Avenger, at seemingly any cost. His secret being too much if it wasn't something he could share with May. That wasn't him. At least, he's not sure he wants it to be.

"I'll be okay," he says honestly. "Thanks."

She nods and turns back to her sketchbook. He tracks her curly hair falling over her shoulders and the bite of her lip as she starts a new drawing, and lets himself smile.

Maybe things don't need to be all bad. The failure still eats at him. But he lets that relief of burden swell in him a little more. "You're really good," he comments. "I wish I had that kind of artistic talent."

"Maybe if you didn't slack off in Art so much," she says with a smirk. And she looks up only briefly from her sketch for her eyes to tell him she's just messing with him.

So Peter laughs. And rubs at the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess I could focus a little more in school."

And he probably can, now. He has no desire to watch videos of himself or make web fluid anymore—the reminder of his failure would be too harsh. He'd rather not dwell on the pain in his chest, if he can help it.

"If detention doesn't take up all your time," Michelle snorts. "I heard how long you're in for. Seems inhumane."

Peter can't help but chuckle. "Maybe I'll get time off for good behavior."

Peter decides he likes her smile.

"Maybe you can join all your extracurriculars again in lieu of detention."

There's an idea. He hadn't really missed band or robotics when he was swinging through the city. But...now? "Maybe I will."

"Are they letting you go to Homecoming?" she asks.

Right. Homecoming. "God, I totally forgot about that. That's this weekend, right?"

Michelle rolls her eyes at him and shakes her head, still smiling. "Geez, Parker, where has your head been?"

"Not on right," he admits. "Are you going?"

She shrugs, and he notices her mask of indifference is back. "I'll probably go. I think Abe and Betty are going. Ned mentioned it."

Peter's reminded of how much he's dropped the ball. _Ned_ is planning on going? They hadn't even talked about it. He'd been so focused on himself, and dragged Ned with him.

Michelle's looking at him again, but her gaze darts away when he catches her. Maybe he'd go. Even this brief chat with Michelle had him feeling better. Hopefully the rest of the team had forgiven him enough to let him join their group. If nothing else, he'd have Ned. And Michelle.

Or...

"Would you want to go with me?" he asks, impulsive maybe, but earnest. He's pretty sure they'd have a good time together.

Michelle's eyes snap to his, and she looks...concerned? Panicked?

"Oh," Peter says, cheeks flushing. "I thought you weren't going with anyone. Just the group. Or maybe you just prefer the group. That's okay. I didn't mea—"

"Yes," she interrupts, and thank _god_ she stopped his rambling. But also. Yes?

"Oh," he repeats, but much less frantically. A smile comes to his face. "Great."

She smiles too, lips tight together like she's trying to fight it. And then looks back down at her sketch.

Peter glances at the clock again. Still thirty minutes to go. He feels a little awkward, now, with the fumbling invitation hanging over him. But the awkwardness isn't all that strong compared to the overwhelming elation in his chest.

Success doesn't hurt so bad.

The high carries him for the next couple of days. And he lets himself be _Peter_ again. Dutifully goes to detention, and contributes in class, and turns in assignments on time. He builds the Lego Death Star with Ned, and when he sees Liz in the hallway, he doesn't run away.

"Hey," he hesitates.

"Hey," she says.

"I, uh, thought you had calculus fifth period."

"Yeah, I was just doing some Homecoming stuff," she explains with a vague gesture of her hands, and makes to walk past him.

But Peter is trying to do better, so he steps forward. "Hey look, I—I just wanted to apologize." He finds it hard to look at her for long stretches. Not necessarily because of his crush or how pretty she is, but just because he genuinely feels so bad for letting her down. "About the whole decathlon thing, I—"

"It's fine."

"No—"

"Last week, decathlon was the most important thing. But then I almost died."

And Peter finds it ironic, really. Liz has gone from thinking that her school and her plans and her extracurriculars are the most important thing to worrying about life and death. And Peter—well, he's been rudely shaken in the other direction. But he's grateful, in a way. His failure still stings like hell, of course, but somehow he'd forgotten the joy in the seemingly mundane. He was going to go to a _Homecoming_ dance with Michelle, and the excitement of it thrilled him in a completely unique way to the thrill of webbing up a carjacker. Even the legit ones.

"Yeah," he says. "Still. It was not cool. You put in so much work for the team to be ready, and I messed up. I'm sorry."

She smiles at him, and Peter's reminded of how beautiful she is. But mostly, he's just grateful for the forgiveness in her eyes.

"Well, thanks," she says, and then glances at the Homecoming banner, and gestures toward it. "I heard you're going with Michelle."

"Yeah," Peter grins. "Luckily they're letting me, as long as I don't miss more detentions."

She tucks her hair behind her ear. "I didn't even know you two were...a thing?"

"Oh," Peter shakes his head. "We're not...I don't think we're a thing. I just got to know her a little, and wanted to get to know her some more."

Liz smiles again. "That's great, Peter. I hope you two have fun."

"Thanks Liz." After a beat, he remembers he should be in class, and he's in enough trouble as it is. "Well, I better get back to class. I'll, uh, see you around I guess?"

"Yeah. See ya."

Peter walks away, a smile on his face. The pain in his chest lightens just a little more. And yeah, focusing on Peter, and on the people important to him, was _definitely_ in order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost didn't write the Liz scene. I thought the readers could just fill in the gaps. But then I was worried people would infer that Peter would regret asking Michelle when he had the chat with Liz in the hall or something like that. Be my guest at inferring why he doesn't regret it, but I wanted it clear that he was happy, even if he's still kind of crushing on Liz at this point.


	4. Responsibility

4

"May please don't be weird."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Peter."

Peter sighs, his hand frozen on the car door. "Look, I know you think you're just being fun,"—she smiles and waves her hands as if presenting herself—"but Michelle already thinks I'm a dork, so there's no need to pile on."

"If she already thinks that, then what's the harm in proving her right?" She winks, and Peter groans. But he's grinning when he steps out of the car. He takes a steadying breath and nervously tugs at his tie. It's possible they tied it wrong and it's come loose. He wonders if he should check it in the window on the car door. But then May will tease him about it. And Michelle is probably already down at her building's entrance, based on her request to tell her when he was five minutes out. Best not to make a show of his anxiety.

Instead, he marches up to the door, corsage in hand, ignoring his thumping heart.

It feels strange to be nervous. It's just Michelle. They get along well, and it's not like this is anything more than a couple of friends going to a dance together. Still, he wants her to have a fun time. And he doesn't want to make a fool out of himself. This is the least Spider-Man thing he's done in over a year, and it feels really, really good.

She opens the door before he can reach it, and gives him a quick wave with a tight smile. "Hi."

"Wow," he breathes out, and his eyes move down her body before he can stop himself. Her fingers play at her dress near her thigh, and she's looking down. "You look really pretty," he tells her.

"And therefore I have value?" she asks, eyes coming back up to meet his.

A jolt of panic runs through him. "No, no, that's not what I meant at all—"

"I'm messing with you," she says with a nervous smile. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"You look pretty too."

Heart-attack to heart-warmed in an instant, he smiles at her. "Oh, thanks." Then, because he doesn't know what else to do, he lifts the box he's holding. "I brought this."

"Oh, great." She steps closer to him and holds out her wrist. She smells nice, like a flower he couldn't name.

He opens the box, and is relieved that the corsage goes with the yellow of the floral pattern on her dress. At least he thinks it does. It looks good on her. He's sure of that. His fingers brush hers as he slides it over her hand. Her skin is warm, and Peter can't resist dragging his fingers over her wrist a little as he pulls his hand back.

"Thanks," she says with a smile.

"Of course," he says, and gestures over his shoulder. "May's driving us, if that's okay."

"She's the whole reason I said yes," Michelle fires back. Peter chuckles and walks beside her back to the car, and opens the back seat for her. She climbs in and slides down for him to sit beside her.

"Hi Michelle!" May is saying when he gets settled, and shuts the door behind him. "I was so happy to hear you and Peter were going to Homecoming together."

"Me too," Michelle says, with a quick glance at Peter, and his chest warmed pleasantly. "How have you been Mrs. Parker?"

She put the car into drive, and they were off once more. Both the car _and_ May and Michelle. It starts with May telling Michelle to _please_ call her May. In the middle, Peter tries to interject during an embarrassing story of when he flooded the bathroom and May had to chase his "cute, naked, little butt" around the apartment. Peter interjects, of course, because May had _tried_ to imply that the event was in the last year and not when he was six years old. And the drive ends with Michelle getting May's number because May's memory is not what it used to be and she can't remember the book recommendations from their last car ride.

Peter is equal parts enchanted by the two women and desperate to exit the car by the time they arrive at the school. "Thanks for the ride, May," he grumbles good-naturedly and May turns to wink at him.

"Oh, don't think you're getting away that easily!" she says, and Peter groans good-naturedly. "Get up on that curb and let me take a picture of you two."

Peter gives Michelle an apologetic look, but she's just got that reserved smile on her face. So Peter supposes he can suffer May, too.

They climb out of the car and position themselves with the school in the background. They fumble for a moment over how to stand, but ultimately get it right with Michelle pressed pleasantly to his side, and he smiles brightly for the camera.

May looks at the picture on her phone, gives a very pleased hum, and smiles at the two of them. "Have a fun night kids, and Peter just give me a call when you're ready to leave."

They watch May drive away and pull on to the main street. "Your aunt is the coolest," Michelle says.

Peter chuckles. "Yeah, you're probably right."

He holds out his arm to loop in Michelle's, and she links them together. They're about to turn to the school when Peter sees a black Jaguar XJ6 pull into the drive and feels a tingling sensation that he hasn't felt since the ferry incident.

He tracks the car to look at the driver as it passes in front of them, and his heart stops.

"Peter?" he vaguely hears Michelle say, but Peter can't focus. He can only try to process what he's seeing. He steps forward, dragging Michelle with him. She says his name again, but all he can see is the face of the driver. The same face he saw on the ferry. In that mechanical, flying, vulture vehicle.

The back car door opens, not ten feet from where Peter and Michelle stop, and Liz climbs out.

It doesn't make any sense. None of this does. But he doesn't have a tracker on him. He doesn't have a tracker at all anymore, not since Mr. Stark took the suit. But...this is the guy!

Acting on instinct, he lets go of Michelle to reach into his pocket, and throws his phone into the open door just before Liz closes it.

"What the fuck," Michelle whispers beside him, and it's only then that Peter remembers his surroundings. That he's at a school dance. That he's on a date. With Michelle.

He turns to her, shoulders tight, frustration and self-hatred in his heart. Maybe he doesn't have to do this. Maybe he can come up with some impossible lie for why he just threw his phone in some car. Hell, it was possible he hadn't even seen right. Right? And even if he had, who was to say that the Vulture guy was going anywhere special? Peter might just be following him to his own house as he sits back and watches reruns of Magnum PI all night.

But no. That tingle was not warning him about Magnum PI reruns. And that man...that man could hurt a lot of people. He opens his mouth with regret. "I...Michelle, you don't deserve this. But I have to go?"

She crosses her arms. "Is this because you just realized that Liz is here without a date?"

"What?" Peter asks, swiveling to look at Liz, who is now at the top of the stairs, stalling at the door with a glance back at him and Michelle. It's only now that he connects the dots. "Wait, was that Liz's _dad_ driving that car?"

The Jaguar is pulling out of the school drive and on to the main road.

"Liz's dad, Peter what are you talking about?"

Peter turns back to Michelle, furious with the situation. But that man—Liz's _dad_ probably—was dangerous. The stuff he was dealing could have killed dozens of people. And because of Peter's mistake, the FBI has no leads on him. But now Peter does.

"Michelle, I swear this has nothing to do with Liz. I really want to be here with you. It's just...I'm..."

He is saved from coming up with a terrible lie.

"You're Spider-Man," she says for him. And Peter can't quite believe his ears.

"What?" He glances around them to make sure no other students were within earshot. They're all oblivious to Peter's crisis, though.

"Come on, Peter," she says, and uncrosses her arms and lifts her eyebrows. "It's kind of obvious. The 'Internship'? Washington? Sucking at school when you _definitely_ don't suck at school? And the way you've been since the ferry? The casual way you just threw your phone into the back of Liz's car?"

"I'm...I'm not," Peter shakes his head, cursing her observational skills. Though to be fair, some of those observations were _not_ hard to make. She just had to be watching. "I also...don't have time for this and I am so, so sorry."

"It's okay," she says with a knowing smirk.

"Yeah?" he says, and backs away.

"Go get 'em, Tiger."

And Peter needs a plan. He'll need to get his old suit and web-shooters. He'll need to borrow a car—Flash's maybe, he seems to like Spider-Man. He'll need to borrow his phone, too, to call Ned and have him track his actual phone, sitting in the back of Liz's dad's car. And this time, he won't do it alone. He'll have Ned contact Happy.

But before all of that: "Thanks, Michelle," he says, throwing her a final apologetic smile. She merely jerks her head in response, an indication to get moving. So he does. With only one final look back at her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn't *not* put in the "And therefore I have value" scene. I didn't want to, really. But it's so *them* that I had to.
> 
> I also had to ruin Peter's Homecoming again. It's also so *him*. Parker luck, you know.


	5. Truth

Peter sits on the building's edge, letting his pain mask the building anxiety. That is the plus side of fractured ribs—they are distracting.

He glances at his phone again. Luckily he'd been able to grab it from Liz's dad's car after...everything. The screen is horribly cracked, but the text message is still visible.

_Be right up_

Getting back to Queens from Coney Island without web fluid wasn't quick. Then again, he wasn't sure he was in swinging shape after having a building dropped on him, being dragged by an airplane, being _launched_ by the crashing airplane, and then being repeatedly crushed into the ground by Liz's dad.

Regardless, he is grateful that Michelle's building is on the way to his own home. She deserves truth.

The building roof access door opens, and Peter turns to see her. She's changed out of her dress, and Peter feels another stab of guilt for leaving her. He probably woke her, too. Or at least disturbed her nightly routine—she's in a pair of sweats and her hair is down. Peter hops off the pony wall lining the rooftop and Michelle runs toward him.

He's surprised when she launches herself into his arms. But despite the pain to his ribs, Peter is blindsided by the relief he feels at holding someone close. Someone who is relieved for _him_. She pulls back after a minute, and shakes her head after getting a look at him.

"Oh my god, Peter. Are you okay?"

Yeah. He probably looks like shit. But he gives her a weak smile.

"I am Spider-Man. By the way. You were right."

She scoffs. "No shit, Peter." Then she hesitates and bites her bottom lip. It's cute. "Although, to be honest, I pretended like I was a lot more certain than I actually was."

Peter laughs, not even upset that he might have been able to preserve his secret. There's something about her...he's glad she figured it out. "Well, you were very convincing."

She smiles, but it drops quickly. "Seriously...are you okay?"

Peter cringes when he tries to take a deep breath, and supposes that's as much an answer as anything. "I will be," he explains. "I heal fast."

"And Liz's dad?" she asks.

Peter sighs. She'd find out tomorrow anyways. "He got into some pretty dangerous stuff. Selling weapons. He tried to rob Iron Man tonight. He'll probably be going to jail for a long time."

"Shit."

"Yeah," Peter says, thinking of Liz. It wasn't fair to her. Then again, things hadn't been fair to her dad, either. And Peter doesn't exactly _blame_ Mr. Stark, whose _Damage Control_ had driven Adrian Toomes to desperation. But then, he doesn't like that Mr. Stark is so removed from the people that he could incidentally cause such pain without even knowing it, even as he tried to help clean up New York following the Chitauri invasion.

Peter knows it's an imperfect world with imperfect solutions and imperfect people. But maybe that's exactly why he needs to be where he is. To help the little guys who got banged up and left behind along the way.

"What happened to your suit?" Michelle asks, and Peter realizes he's been staring off for a minute.

He scratches the back of his neck, embarrassed. "Mr. Stark took it from me—after I screwed up. Probably could've used some of its functionality tonight," he adds with some levity.

Her eyes narrow. She doesn't find it funny, apparently. "That seems pretty irresponsible of him."

Peter shrugs. "He thought it was irresponsible to give it to me in the first place. He was probably right."

Michelle hums. Her distrust of Mr. Stark on his behalf is kind of sweet. Or maybe she distrusts him all on her own. Probably that.

"Well, I'm glad you're okay, Peter," Michelle says, then gestures at him. "Relatively speaking, I guess."

Peter chuckles. "I'm glad you figured it out," he tells her honestly. "And...I think you're right. This is something I need to tell May."

She nods. "I'm glad too. And yeah, please tell her. I had to text her and say that your phone died, and that we were all going to Ned's after the dance. I don't like lying to her."

Peter swallows. "I don't blame you. Thanks, Michelle. And I'm really sorry about tonight."

She shakes her head with a snort. "I'm the one who should apologize. I kind of froze when everyone asked where you went. So if Flash makes fun of you for getting sick and throwing up from nerves...that's kind of on me. I'm not the best liar under pressure."

Peter laughs. Bullying from Flash is the last of his concerns. Especially after what Peter did to his car. "I hope you never are."

The air is cold, and Michelle shivers. "Sorry to make you come up here," Peter says. "I didn't know where you lived beyond the sixth floor, and didn't think it was a good idea to go looking through people's windows until I found your room." He blushes. " _Or_ coming to your room at all."

She plays at the hem of her sweater. "There's a fire escape outside my room. Next time we can meet there."

"Next time?" Peter asks, hopeful.

She shrugs. "Yeah, if you're swinging in the neighborhood and need a drink of water or something."

"Yeah," Peter smiles. "Thanks."

There's a car horn in the distance, and Peter's reminded that he needs to get moving. He points over his shoulder. "I should probably—"

"Yeah," she says, giving him a tight smile. "And I should probably get some sleep."

"G'night Michelle," he says with a little wave.

"MJ," Michelle says. "My friends call me MJ."

"MJ," he tries it out. It tastes very good on his tongue. "I like that. Goodnight, MJ."

She retreats back into her building with a final look back at him, and Peter waves with a smile. He turns to leave, walking to the building's edge.

He looks down when he feels a splash of water. A small puddle has pooled up against the pony wall. Peter looks down at the water, and sees the shadow of his reflection amidst the ripples of his foot. And he smiles. Bloodied and broken, with a makeshift suit and no mask, he sees Spider-Man looking back at him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope y'all enjoyed this Homecoming Redux Ripple! If you're interested in seeing how the ripple continues, go ahead and give the Series a subscribe. Hopefully I can have Part 2 done in the next couple of weeks.

**Author's Note:**

> Let me know your thoughts!


End file.
